Israel’s streets of hope can reclaim nation – “As I walked home from the rally of more than 250,000 people in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, I noticed that Rabin Square was fenced off. A large sign announced that it was closed for renovations. I stared at the torn-up plaza and tried to recall the last time I had seen so many people come out to protest on such a muggy evening. It was a long time ago, back when it was still called Kings of Israel Square, and crowds had gathered to hear prime minister Yitzhak Rabin speak. His assassination that evening shattered our country and ended a period full of optimistic mass public gatherings. But 16 years later, Israelis are taking to the streets once more.

The protesters in 1995 went out to voice their sincere, but hesitant, hopes for a better future. Those now gathering in their tens or hundreds of thousands look more determined; more sure of their own power. They know that if we lose this time, the failure will be our own. There will be no partner – present or absent – to blame. As many signs at the recent rallies exclaimed, this struggle is being fought not just because people cannot afford a house, but because they fear for their home, in the deepest sense of the word: the place where you feel wanted and appreciated, where you belong.”

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